1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for pulling and stringing wire through building walls and ceilings.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Resilient and flexible mesh sleeves formed of a plurality of thin, flexible strands made up of polyester monofilaments and woven or braided together are old and well known. Such sleeves, known as expandable sleeving or tubing, expand in diameter upon longitudinal compression and contract in diameter upon longitudinal tension or extension. The woven sleeves are similar in construction to the ancient and well-known Chinese Finger Trap.
Expandable sleeving of this type is commonly used to contain and shield multiple strands of wire, cable and the like. One form of such sleeving is manufactured by TechFlex, Inc. of Sparta, N.J., and sold under the trademarks xe2x80x9cFlexoxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cClean Cut.xe2x80x9d The product is made of polyester monofilament and is durable, temperature resistant, fray resistant, wear resistant, non-stretchable, flexible and resilient.
The use of woven sleeves for pulling cable such as fiber-optic cables having connector fittings thereon is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,480,203, issued Jan. 2, 1996, to Hubbell Incorporated, for xe2x80x9cPulling Tool For Pulling Connectorized Cable.xe2x80x9d
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method and tool system for stringing wire or cable in building structures.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved combination of tools for stringing wire or cable in building structures.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a method of the foregoing character that is simple, easy and efficient to use and facilitates the rapid and accurate installation of wire and cable in building structures.
The present invention is embodied in a new and novel method and apparatus or tool system for pulling wire through a building wall or panel formed by spaced apart vertical studs, a plate at one or both ends of the studs, and opposed wall panels mounted on the studs and plates. In order to string a wire through the wall panel, an opening is cut through one of said wall panels between said studs, usually of the size of a standard outlet box. An elongated stiffly flexible drill bit is inserted through the opening and into the space or channel between the panels and studs. A hole is then drilled through a plate, usually the upper plate. and the drill is withdrawn. An elongated stiffly flexible rod carrying an elongated flexible woven sleeve, is inserted through the panel opening and through the drilled hole in the plate. The sleeve is of a substantial length and is laterally expandable upon longitudinal compression and laterally contractible upon longitudinal tension, in the nature of a Chinese Finger Trap. The rod is at least partially covered with one end portion of the flexible woven sleeve which grips said rod when under tension. After insertion through the drilled hole in the plate, the rod and sleeve are slightly retracted from the hole resulting in the formation of a loop in the sleeve at the inserted end of the rod extending above the plate. This loop is hooked or snagged with an elongated hooking rod having a hook at one end. Once hooked, the sleeve is pulled completely through the hole to a point remote from the hole and to which a wire is to be strung.
At either the first point at which one end of the cable or wire is to be located, or at the remote point, the free end of said sleeve is grippingly engaged with an inserted end of a wire or cable to be pulled by inserting an end of the wire into the sleeve and tensioning the sleeve to grip the wire. The sleeve and attached wire are pulled through the plate hole and panel opening. After the wire or cable is in place, the wire is readily released from the sleeve by compressing the woven sleeve in a longitudinal direction, leaving the wire strung between the remote point outwardly through the wall opening.